sermon for the preacher

I was down to preach on Sunday night. Taking a service is a much less regular occurrence for me this year than it was last. In fact, Sunday was only the second preach I've had since August, and the other one was a shared service.
In keeping with my general practice, I checked out the lectionary reading and spent some time thinking out sermon possibilities in the week or too leading up to the important Sunday night. But something went wrong. Life happened. Socialising over the holiday period. Seeing my sister off on New Year's Eve. Celebrating the new year. Battling a virus through it all. I got to Saturday morning and realised that I would be fortunate to be able to get through a service on Sunday night - from the sheer practicality of having a voice.
In any case, the sermon had not been written, in spite of several efforts in that direction. So I decided instead to revisit some ground trodden in the past and adapt something to use in Sunday night's service. As I slipped into sleep Saturday night, I had decided on a text from Ephesians and done some modifications to the sermon I had previously composed on that text, but when I awoke on Sunday morning, a completely different thought was in my mind.
Starting over for the third time, I revisited a sermon from more than a year ago on a text from Matthew. Suddenly I knew I had the right sermon. I arrived in the evening with the worship and prayers prepared and the sermon rewritten, ready to go. All went along bravely until I was nearly at the end of the sermon.
It was then that two things happened. About three quarters of the way into the sermon, I felt my voice begin to go. Then I read aloud something I had gone over at least twice that day, and suddenly felt, for the first time, that I was preaching to myself.
But the moment of self-revelation didn't last long, as I concentrated on keeping my voice and finishing the sermon. I was forced to take some time out for coughing, but eventually finished, leaving the congregation to sing the final hymn as I gathered enough voice for the benediction.
Over the day and a half that has passed since Sunday night, that sudden reminder or insight or conviction from my own sermon has been sinking deeper into my psyche and calling out an increasing number of ideas, challenges and insights for the coming months.
Who would have thought that a last-minute choice of sermon and order of service could turn out to be so appropriate, not just for the congregation, but for the preacher as well.